Princess Diana was the ultimate style icon, with legendary fashion and beauty looks ahead of her time.
The former Princess of Wales underwent various hair transformations throughout her time in the public eye. Known for her signature feathered shag, which recently saw a resurgence in popularity after Elizabeth Debicki's portrayal of Princess Diana in The Crown, as well as the iconic pixie crop she opted for in the '90s, Princess Diana's hair inspired the generations after her, proving how glamorous and feminine short hair could be. Typically, the late Princess of Wales would wear her hair with plenty of volume, whatever the cut, and was no stranger to bold hair accessories and hats.
Princess Diana's hair transformation was about much more than the latest hair trends - it also represented her own style evolution and liberation. "When I met Diana, things were changing," Diana's former hairstylist Sam McKnight told Vogue. "We were moving on from the '80s romantic frills and going much sleeker with short, sharp hair to wear with Chanel and Versace suits of the time. It was all about the power woman look."
Here are some of Princess Diana's best hair looks, cuts and styles to inspire your next salon appointment...
Princess Diana's best hairstyles over the years
1. The blonde shaggy crop
Princess Diana is photographed in Argentina wearing her hair in her signature style - a short blonde crop with a feathery fringe and side parting. The former Princess of Wales wore her blonde hair highlighted for a natural sunkissed look. Diana often accessorised her short hair with statement earrings, like these gold knot earrings, which offer an elegant final touch to her formal outfit.
2. The shorter sunkissed crop
As Princess Diana developed her own personal style, her hair became shorter and blonder. She's pictured here at a reception at Christie's in London, looking radiant with bright blonde highlights and glowing skin. Princess Diana often tucked her hair behind her ears and wore statement earrings for a glamorous look.
3. The featured shag haircut
Another signature haircut for Diana throughout the '80s was a feathered shaggy haircut. During this period, she had more natural tones in her hair, opting for a brighter blonde in the '90s. She's pictured wearing a natural and soft style alongside a sapphire, diamond, and pearl choker and diamond and sapphire earrings for a state banquet in Vienna.
4. The crop and beret combo
Princess Diana wore various statement hats, from berets and trilby hats to glamorous wide-brimmed and oversized sun hats. Here, she's pictured wearing a red beret with a matching jacket for a chic look that works well with her blonde cropped hair. A black necktie and bag complete the bold look perfectly.
5. The black beret and wispy fringe
Diana is pictured looking radiant here wearing a tartan dress designed by Caroline Charles and a black Tam o' shanter-style hat for the Highland Games in Scotland in the '80s in Braemar, Scotland. A 'tam o' shanter' hat - or 'tammie' - is a traditional Scottish bonnet, often worn by men - showing Diana's progressive style, even in her early years in the spotlight.
6. The soft crop
In her early years in the spotlight, Princess Diana wore her hair in soft blonde tones with a grown-out, feathery crop with a side-swept fringe and layers. She swapped out this softer look for a shorter pixie crop in the '90s, but the late Princess of Wales largely stuck to this shaggy haircut throughout her marriage to Charles.
7. The side-parting and glossy highlights
Princess Diana's short hair looks saw her opt for lighter and brighter highlights that matched her glowing tan. Diana is pictured here wearing an embroidered dress by one of the late Princess of Wales's favourite fashion designers, Catherine Walker.
8. The voluminous crop
Princess Diana knew how to make an impact with her hairstyles, with her short hair often worn with plenty of volume and texture. She's pictured here wearing her cropped hair big and bold with a voluminous blow-dry for an appearance in Melbourne in the '80s.
9. The deep side parting
As Princess Diana's style developed, her hairstyles became more refined. Power dressing was a huge part of Diana's '80s and '90s style, with shoulder pads and smart tailoring a regular fixture. To match this, Princess Diana's hair became shorter and sharper with brighter highlights. Here, we see the late Princess of Wales opting for a deep side parting and light blonde highlights.
10. The short crop and full fringe
One of Princess Diana's most memorable hair looks is her short crop and full fringe, with bright blonde highlights. She's pictured wearing a bright red dress by fashion designer Jacques Azagury, her blonde crop looking sunkissed and perfectly styled. Statement pearl earrings finish the glam evening look.
11. The shorter textured crop
Princess Diana opted for a shorter pixie crop and fringe in a fresh and modern style during a trip to Canada. During her visit to Ottawa, Canada, the late Princess of Wales teamed her shorter hair with a sapphire and pearl choker to attend a state dinner. Yet again, her incredible jewellery elevates the look.
12. The styled crop and netted hat
Princess Diana looked elegant for an appearance in Paris in the late '80s to attend a service commemorating the 70th anniversary of the armistice at the Arc de Triomphe. The late Princess of Wales teamed her styled blonde crop with a black hat with netting laid over the top designed by Viv Knowland and a remembrance poppy.
13. The '70s-style hair flick
Princess Diana's hair looks striking in a longer style, with the ends flicked out, a bright blonde shade, and a flattering side parting. The late Princess of Wales wore this '70s style to watch a performance of Swan Lake, wearing a dress designed by one of her favourite fashion designers, Catherine Walker.
14. The wavy crop
Princess Diana's voluminous styles were legendary, and she's pictured here in Italy with a softer, wavy blowdry and a lot of volume. The former Princess of Wales wore sunkissed natural blonde highlights in her hair and a celestial Jacques Azagury gown to attend a mayoral dinner in Florence, Italy, in the '80s.
15. The statement headband and blonde crop
Even during active pursuits, Princess Diana still looked incredibly stylish and put together. In this iconic picture, Diana wore a bright plaited headband in bright colours to match her pink ski suit, keeping her head warm and her blonde crop away from her face during a holiday in Klosters, Switzerland.
16. The shorter pixie crop
Another stylish ski look saw Princess Diana opt for a shorter, spikier style with shorter laters instead of her longer layers and softer waves. The former Princess of Wales looks effortlessly cool with this understated look and oversized black sunglasses while hitting the slopes on a skiing holiday.
17. The glossy crop with lowlights
For a night out at the Costume Institute Gala Honorus for Christian Dior, Princess Diana looked chic in a glossy bob with a side parting and fringe swept to one side. The Princess' sparkling jewellery finishes the stylish look perfectly. Diana's hair is slightly darker here, with the Princess opting for a mix of dark and light blonde shades.
18. The dark blonde soft crop
One of the late Princess of Wales's earliest looks showed her with a natural dark blonde shade and a soft shag hairstyle with long layers. Diana wore her fringe pushed to the side with elegant jewellery to complement her striking red dress for an evening out.
19. The high-volume side sweep
Another signature longer hairstyle for Princess Diana is a side parting with plenty of texture and volume through the roots. This powerful look matches the late Princess of Wales's statement blazer in a check style, with a chic patent clutch to finish the outfit - a much edgier look than some of Diana's earlier styles.
20. The statement hat and blonde waves
Princess Diana's blonde hair is set into gentle waves here, with the style finished off with a pink hat to match her pink polka dot dress. The former Princess of Wales was no stranger to a statement hat, often pairing her hairstyles with a hat or a fascinator.
21. The dark blonde layered crop
Princess Diana looks radiant and elegant in this early photograph, with her hair styled simply with long, soft layers and a full fringe. Before the Princess of Wales went down the highlights route, she wore her hair in a natural dark blonde shade with a few natural highlights throughout the fringe.
22. The wavy crop
Diana looks stylish and put together wearing a beige coat dress with a white collar designed by Catherine Walker and statement sunglasses for a visit to the Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor, Egypt, in the '90s. Sporting a shorter crop, the Princess created texture with some waves and wore the style with plenty of volume.
23. The blown-out wavy bob
One of Diana's sleeker looks in the '80s was a glossy bob with subtle waves; her hair kept soft with a healthy-looking shine. Diana wore this stunning hairstyle for a visit to the St Mary Abbots Church Christmas concert in Kensington, London, teaming the elegant beauty look with a sheer blue dress with gold accents.
24. The natural shag hairstyle
Princess Diana's naturally dark blonde colour was also a striking look, putting the 'shag hairstyle' - typically a short, choppy hairstyle with layers around the crown with a parted fringe - on the map and inspiring future generations. Princess Diana opted for a natural look while attending a performance at the Royal Opera House in the '80s, wrapped up in a sumptuous white coat.
25. The curly short crop
Along with her incredible hats and hair accessories, Princess Diana was often pictured wearing stunning tiaras that suited her shorter styles perfectly. Here, she's opted for an embroidered evening dress by Catherine Walker and the Spencer tiara, her short hair styled in curls, to attend a state banquet hosted by South Korean President Roh Tae-woo at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea.
26. The short and textured pixie crop
As we moved into the '90s, Princess Diana's hair was often cut shorter, in more daring styles. The Princess became famous for her signature pixie crop with short layers and a full fringe. She's pictured here with the wind blowing through her textured and volumised 'do during a visit to Seville in Spain.
27. The oversized beret and sweeping fringe
The Princess of Wales matched her caramel-toned hair with a suede beret by John Boyd and a coatdress by Arabella Pollen for a polished look. The late Princess of Wales' cropped hair is brushed into a side parting with volume through the fringe - a signature style of Diana.
28. Gentle curls and a volumised fringe
For a royal appearance in Kent, Princess Diana wore her hair in soft curls with plenty of volume through the fringe and a boxy pink hat to finish the look. Her hair is worn with lighter sections throughout the front. True to form, the late Princess of Wales finished the elegant look with statement earrings with a twist detail.
29. The side-sweep crop with silk flowers
Princess Diana often dressed up her short hair with different accessories to show her style and add some personality to her looks. During a visit to Thailand, she styled a pink and red dress with silk flowers in her short crop for an elegant and fun look.
30. An elegant pinned back style with a longer bob
Princess Diana's long bob looks stylish in one of her earlier appearances, pinned back with volumised sections through the fringe and side sections. The Princess' blonde hair is set in loose waves and has lighter blonde highlights that pop with Diana's bold pink jacket. Simple pearl earrings finish the look perfectly.
31. The volumised blonde bob with shorter roots
Princess Diana looked radiant for a dinner and dance event in Sydney, wearing her blonde pixie crop with plenty of volume, highlights and a slightly darker root on show. Ahead of her time, Diana wore early iterations of the balayage trend with graduating highlights throughout her time in the public eye.
32. Slicked back hair
Princess Diana pioneered 'wet-look' hair, slicking back her cropped blonde hair for special occasions, offering a smooth, sleek finish and an edgier look than classic curly styles. Bold statement earrings and an incredible pearl choker complete the look, which the late Princess of Wales wore to a dinner in the '90s.
